Debut of 'Chicken Little' Gives Disney Something to Crow Over
Strong Opening Weekend
May Help in Pixar Talks;
Animation Roster Is Slowed
By MERISSA MARR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 7, 2005; Page B6
Delivering the first test of its animation revamp, Walt Disney Co.'s "Chicken Little" sold an estimated $40.1 million of tickets in theaters across North America in its opening weekend, an encouraging debut as Disney gets down to serious negotiations with Pixar Animation Studios.
Still, Disney has decided to slow down production of some of its animated titles, according to people familiar with the situation. "American Dog" has been pushed back to early summer 2008 to give it more space after "Meet the Robinsons," which is headed for a December 2006 release. Disney also is delaying "Rapunzel Unbraided" to early summer 2009 to give director Glen Keane more time to work on the story, the people said.
"None of our release dates is set in stone," said a Disney Studios spokeswoman, Heidi Trotta, who declined to comment further.
"Chicken Little," the tale of a young chicken who saves his town from aliens, is Disney's first fully computer-animated feature. Disney has a lot riding on the G-rated movie, not least because it aims to prove it can succeed in animation as it negotiates a new deal with Pixar. After a rash of harsh reviews, investors had been bracing for a modest debut, but Disney said the movie ended up drawing a broad audience that went beyond just families.
"This chicken has legs," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution at Disney's studio. He noted that the only other Disney animated movie to outdo "Chicken Little" was "The Lion King," which sold $40.9 million of ticket sales in its opening weekend in 1994.
Nevertheless, the opening was far below Pixar hits such as "The Incredibles," which hauled in $70 million of tickets sales in the same slot last year. The $40 million start put "Chicken Little" in the ballpark of second-tier hits, including DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s "Shark Tale," which made a $48 million bow, and 20th Century Fox's "Robots," with a $36 million opening.
"This is an encouraging start for a film that investors had low expectations for," said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners. "It's not conclusive, but it will at least dampen views that Disney needs to buy Pixar or that Pixar has greater leverage in their negotiations."
Disney dominated the hand-drawn animation business for many years but lost its lead when newcomers such as Pixar and DreamWorks arrived with a new style of computer-generated animation.
The misstep hit Disney especially hard because animation has traditionally played a key role in building franchises that can be spun off across the company. Disney made a deal to distribute Pixar's movies but recently decided to switch its own animation to the more popular computer-generated style.
Disney is negotiating to extend its deal with Pixar; that deal comes to an end next year with "Cars." A success in "Chicken Little" would not only give Disney's studio a much needed lift after a tough stretch but also give the company more leverage in those negotiations. The two companies are expected to make a decision in the next couple of months.
Disney's next solo project is "Meet the Robinsons," about a boy genius traveling forward in time. After that, "American Dog" had been earmarked for 2007, but Disney decided it wanted more time to polish the production, according to people familiar with the situation. Mr. Keane also wanted more time for "Rapunzel Unbraided," originally set for 2008.
Write to Merissa Marr at merissa.marr@wsj.com
Strong Opening Weekend
May Help in Pixar Talks;
Animation Roster Is Slowed
By MERISSA MARR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 7, 2005; Page B6
Delivering the first test of its animation revamp, Walt Disney Co.'s "Chicken Little" sold an estimated $40.1 million of tickets in theaters across North America in its opening weekend, an encouraging debut as Disney gets down to serious negotiations with Pixar Animation Studios.
Still, Disney has decided to slow down production of some of its animated titles, according to people familiar with the situation. "American Dog" has been pushed back to early summer 2008 to give it more space after "Meet the Robinsons," which is headed for a December 2006 release. Disney also is delaying "Rapunzel Unbraided" to early summer 2009 to give director Glen Keane more time to work on the story, the people said.
"None of our release dates is set in stone," said a Disney Studios spokeswoman, Heidi Trotta, who declined to comment further.
"Chicken Little," the tale of a young chicken who saves his town from aliens, is Disney's first fully computer-animated feature. Disney has a lot riding on the G-rated movie, not least because it aims to prove it can succeed in animation as it negotiates a new deal with Pixar. After a rash of harsh reviews, investors had been bracing for a modest debut, but Disney said the movie ended up drawing a broad audience that went beyond just families.
"This chicken has legs," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution at Disney's studio. He noted that the only other Disney animated movie to outdo "Chicken Little" was "The Lion King," which sold $40.9 million of ticket sales in its opening weekend in 1994.
Nevertheless, the opening was far below Pixar hits such as "The Incredibles," which hauled in $70 million of tickets sales in the same slot last year. The $40 million start put "Chicken Little" in the ballpark of second-tier hits, including DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s "Shark Tale," which made a $48 million bow, and 20th Century Fox's "Robots," with a $36 million opening.
"This is an encouraging start for a film that investors had low expectations for," said Rich Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners. "It's not conclusive, but it will at least dampen views that Disney needs to buy Pixar or that Pixar has greater leverage in their negotiations."
Disney dominated the hand-drawn animation business for many years but lost its lead when newcomers such as Pixar and DreamWorks arrived with a new style of computer-generated animation.
The misstep hit Disney especially hard because animation has traditionally played a key role in building franchises that can be spun off across the company. Disney made a deal to distribute Pixar's movies but recently decided to switch its own animation to the more popular computer-generated style.
Disney is negotiating to extend its deal with Pixar; that deal comes to an end next year with "Cars." A success in "Chicken Little" would not only give Disney's studio a much needed lift after a tough stretch but also give the company more leverage in those negotiations. The two companies are expected to make a decision in the next couple of months.
Disney's next solo project is "Meet the Robinsons," about a boy genius traveling forward in time. After that, "American Dog" had been earmarked for 2007, but Disney decided it wanted more time to polish the production, according to people familiar with the situation. Mr. Keane also wanted more time for "Rapunzel Unbraided," originally set for 2008.
Write to Merissa Marr at merissa.marr@wsj.com
